Palm Tree Bandits suspected in SCV bank robbery

Bank surveillance photo Sept. 14 at the California Bank & Trust on The Old Road near Pico Canyon Road when two armed bank robbers walked into the bank and demanded money. Photo courtesy of labankrobbers.org.

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FBI agents and investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are looking into the possibility that a local bank held up last month may be the work of the Palm Tree Bandits. The robbery happened shortly before noon on Sept. 14 at the California Bank & Trust on The Old Road near Pico Canyon Road when two armed bank robbers walked into the bank and demanded money. Described as two black men, the suspects were believed to be in their 20s or 30s, one wearing an orange vest, the other a yellow vest, Lt. James Duran of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station said at the time. Investigators now suspect the pair may be the Palm Tree Bandits, a spokeswoman for the FBI told The Signal Friday. “The FBI and local partners, LASD, are investigating whether it may have been linked to serial bank robbers known as Palm Tree Bandits,” Laura Eimiller said. Surveillance photos of the Palm Tree Bandits are posted on the website labankrobbers.org, she said. Eimiller described the Palm Tree Bandits as: “A group of unidentified male bank robbers linked to banks in various cities, named due to fact that suspect in earlier robbery wore a ball cap with a palm tree on it.” The group is suspected in takeover robberies at banks in Arcadia, San Marino and Santa Monica. During the investigation of the local bank robbery last month, deputies searching for the bank robbers were advised by their dispatcher that $8,700 was taken during the robbery. jholt@signalsvc.com 661-287-5527 on Twitter @jamesarthurholt